Michael G. Masters is the National Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Secure Community Network. He previously served as Senior Vice President of The Soufan Group and Executive Director of the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for

Cook County, Illinois Cook County is the List of counties in Illinois, most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the List of the most populous counties in the United States, second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, C ...

. He also serves on the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security’s Faith Based Security and Communications Advisory Committee, as the Vice-Chair of the Secretary’s Homeland Security Advisory Council’s Grants Review Task Force and on the Secretary’s Homeland Security Advisory Council’s Foreign Fighter Task Force.

Early life and education

Masters was born on November 14, 1978, in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. A Truman and a Gates Cambridge Trust Scholar, Masters received his Bachelor of Arts in History from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, and a Master of Philosophy degree in International Relations from the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

in the United Kingdom. He received his

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

where he was managing editor of the

Harvard International Law Journal The ''Harvard International Law Journal'' is a biannual academic journal of international law, run and edited by students at Harvard Law School. The Journal is "the oldest and most-cited student-edited journal of international law." The Journal was ...

. Masters holds the rank of captain in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

Career

Early career

He served as an assistant to Chicago Mayor

Richard M. Daley Richard Michael Daley (born April 24, 1942) is an American politician who served as the 54th mayor of Chicago, Illinois, from 1989 to 2011. Daley was elected mayor in 1989 and was reelected five times until declining to run for a seventh ter ...

for public safety during which time he oversaw public safety policy and operations for the City of Chicago and as a liaison to the Chicago Police and

Fire Departments A fire department (North American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire company, fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and ...

and the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications. He then served as the Chief of Staff of the

Chicago Police Department The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is the primary law enforcement agency of the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, under the jurisdiction of the Chicago City Council. It is the second-largest Law enforcement in the United States#Local, ...

, during which time he oversaw enhancements to training and equipment and the implementation of performance management metrics and accountability systems. He has also worked with the Washington D.C.–based

Partnership for Public Service The Partnership for Public Service is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization based in Washington, D.C. whose mission is to inspire a new generation of civil servants and to transform the way government works. The Partnership's programs include ...

, a nonpartisan, organization dedicated to revitalizing the federal civil service, and with the

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

’s office, also in Washington, D.C. He has engaged in development work on the

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (), also called Pine Ridge Agency, is an Oglala Lakota Indian reservation located in the U.S. state of South Dakota, with a small portion extending into Nebraska. Originally included within the territory of the ...

in South Dakota. During the 2000 presidential election cycle, Masters was a member of United States Vice President

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...

’s national advance team.

Cook County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management

As Executive Director of the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for Cook County, Illinois, Masters was responsible for coordinating and maintaining the

homeland security Homeland security is an American national security term for "the national effort to ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards where American interests, aspirations, and ways of life can thrive" to ...

and emergency management system across Cook County, involving both first responder and public sector agencies as well as partners in the private, non-profit and academic sectors. During his tenure, the department implemented a federally grant funded training and exercise programs, reaching over 9200 first responders annually. The Department also created the Cook County Incident Command Center (CCICC), complete with a 24/7 Duty Desk that gathers and disseminates information, compiles daily situation reports and sends situation awareness updates on a daily basis on everything ranging from international terrorism events to weather updates. An Emergency Operations Center was established, and investment made in water pumps, generators, light towers and other mobile infrastructure, all of which was made available for deployment across the County and in support of local jurisdictions and other stakeholders in the case of a disaster.

The Soufan Group

Masters served as the Senior Vice President of The Soufan Group, a strategic advisory firm that assists organizations in the public and private sectors with addressing emergent threats. He currently holds an Of Counsel role with The Soufan Group and Soufan Strategies and serves as the President of the Soufan Center.

Secure Community Network

In December 2017, Masters became National Director and CEO of the

Secure Community Network Secure Community Network (SCN) is a Jewish security organization in North America. It works with hundreds of synagogues to provide safety guidance and threat intelligence. SCN liaises with law enforcement and other organizations to provide best p ...

(SCN), the national

initiative of the North American Jewish community, formed under the

Jewish Federations of North America The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), formerly the United Jewish Communities (UJC), is an American Jewish umbrella organization for the Jewish Federations system, representing over 350 independent Jewish communities across North Ameri ...

and

Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (CoP; commonly Presidents' Conference) is the umbrella organization for the American Jewish community. Comprising 53 national Jewish organizations across the political spectrum, ...

. Prior to his role as National Director, Masters served as a Senior Advisor to SCN.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Masters, Michael G. 1978 births Living people People from Cook County, Illinois American civil servants University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni Harvard Law School alumni Alumni of the University of Cambridge